JAKE DANNA STEVENS / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Scranton jewelry maker and Duffy Accessories owner Maureen Duffy shows off a piece of jewelry like one she sent to the "Downton Abbey" stylist last year for possible inclusion in the show.

Scranton jewelry maker Maureen Duffy already enjoyed "Downton Abbey" by the time the show came calling.

From the dialogue to the background details to the fashions, it all made her - and millions of others worldwide - a fan of the British television series, which follows the lives of an aristocratic English family and their servants in the early 20th century.

And for Ms. Duffy, who has operated Duffy Accessories in Scranton for 25 years, the show also gave her an opportunity to share her work with the world. About a year ago, a stylist for "Downton Abbey" called her about ordering some of her custom jewelry to use on the show.

It was no joke. The stylist had found Ms. Duffy through the store Angels Among Us in Birmingham, England, where Ms. Duffy had sent some of her work after connecting with the shop owner during a trade show in New York City. The stylist bought a pair of Swarovski crystal earrings - the same style Ms. Duffy said Vice President Joe Biden bought from her as a gift for Michelle Obama before she became first lady - and ordered many more custom pieces from her for the show.

Since its debut in 2010, "Downton Abbey's" popularity has risen steadily. It regularly captures millions of viewers during its Sunday night showings on PBS, including 6.8 million viewers on this year's Super Bowl Sunday when it went head-to-head with the game, according to PBS and Nielsen Fast National Data.

The current season takes place in 1922, and Ms. Duffy completed 16 pieces for the show inspired by styles from the 1910s to 1930s. She spent around three months working on the order, which she sent to England around January of last year as the show prepared to shoot its fourth season, now airing.

"I had to do a lot of research and make sure every stone or bead was historically correct," Ms. Duffy said.

Her work included hair clips and combs, earrings, necklaces and bracelets that incorporated elements like lace applique, Swarovski crystals, pearls and black-jet beads. Ms. Duffy also plated the shiny metal with an antique coloring.

"It makes it older-looking," she said.

Ms. Duffy has noticed the show's popularity has revived an interest in vintage jewelry, which she attributes to the elegance, and she expects more weddings will copy "Downton" styles going forward.

"It's rich," she said. "It's classy."

But the show has not only inspired fashion. It has spawned countless books, fan websites and even travel, as people from around the world now head to England to check out the setting of "Downton Abbey," Highclere Castle in Hampshire.

That includes a group of fans from North Pocono, who visited some of "Downton Abbey's" filming locations last July.

"That was the excuse for the trip," joked Nancy Gaughan of Moscow, one of the nine travelers.

Mrs. Gaughan along with Liz Geary of Covington Twp., Joyce Cornell Papp of South Abington Twp., Maggie Young of Madison Twp. and several of their friends and family living elsewhere in the country spent about a year planning the excursion. For Ms. Cornell Papp, the trip gave her something to which she could look forward during her treatment for breast cancer.

"(Mrs. Young) said, 'When all of your treatments are done, we're going to go to England to see Highclere Castle,'" she recalled.

They did that and much more, enjoying each other's company on the extended "girls weekend." The women spent eight days sightseeing around London, Windsor and other spots - even running into someone from Tunkhannock along the way - and had one day dedicated just to "Downton"-related activities.

That day, a private vehicle took them to Byfleet Manor, Surrey, the fictional residence of the dowager character; Bampton, Oxfordshire, where the show films scenes depicting the "Downton" village; and Highclere Castle.

"I was amazed how large it is," Ms. Cornell Papp said of the castle. "It's just huge, and I was really taken aback that that could be a family's residence."

At Highclere, they toured the grounds plus a couple floors inside the home, and while they could not take photographs indoors, Ms. Geary made sure to grab some postcards on her way out. They saw the rooms and actual furniture used in the show and even had a chance to descend the grand staircase.

"Everything you see on TV is the way it is," Mrs. Young said.

They also noticed displays of personal mementos of the home's real-life residents, the Earl of Carnarvon and his family.

"There were family photos all over of the family that lives there," Ms. Cornell Papp said. "It's very nice because they look like a family you would see at your kid's soccer game."

At Byfleet, the group learned some behind-the-scenes details about the filming and sat in the chair where the dowager, played by actress Maggie Smith, usually sits. They also enjoyed tea and chatted with the home's owner.

"She set a beautiful table," Ms. Cornell Papp said.

Stops in Bampton included popular filming spots like the church, hospital and exterior of the home belonging to character Isobel Crawley.

"It's a real small area all these broad scenes are filmed in," Mrs. Young said. "It's amazing."

Since they returned, the women have enjoyed watching the show and picking out all the places saw in person.

"You forget where you were," Mrs. Young said. "It does take you back."

Ms. Duffy does not know what pieces the show might have used, if anything. And while she has not yet spotted her work, she tunes in each week to catch it when it does.

"I'll be really happy about it," she said.

In the meantime, the women and their fellow fans continue to speculate about what will happen to the characters as they approach the season finale on Sunday, Feb. 23, and marvel at the phenomenon the show has become, even in America.

"It's so interesting," Ms. Cornell Papp said. "They're dealing with real issues. They were real 100 years ago, and they're still real today."

Contact the writer: cheaney@timesshamrock.com, @cheaneyTT on Twitter

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